Page 13 of Catch Me If You Can

His hand was in her hair. And his mouth— His mouth was on hers. Eyes closed. So into it. So comfortable. So not mine.

I just stood there. Watching the two of them.

Like a fucking idiot.

four years later

present day

5

caleb

"Dude, come onnnn. You can't be serious. It's Rascals! We've been wanting to play there for years!" Tony pouts, crossing his arms like a child denied dessert.

I roll my eyes and sink deeper into the couch cushions. "You think I want to go to this stupid work thing? If I miss it, my dad will literally cut me off."

Tony huffs, launching his sweatshirt across the living room. “Your dad threatens to cut you off every other fucking day. It's not healthy, dude. You have to stand on your own two feet at some point. Start living your own life.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, my skull still throbbing from last night’s bad decisions. “Ton, I don’t need this right now. I’ve got a killer fucking headache.”

Tony drops onto the couch beside me with a loud exhale. “I don’t feel bad for you. You did this to yourself. No one told you to make out with Jessi—”

“Jamie,” I correct him with a groan. “And it wasn’t even worth it. I couldn’t have been more bored.”

“That’s why your room was suspiciously quiet last night,” Tony mutters.

“Quit pressing your ears to my wall, you freak.” I smack him in the stomach, not nearly as hard as he makes it seem.

“I hate you,” he grumbles, curling into himself. But the corners of his mouth twitch into a grin.

He settles back into the couch, propping his feet on our ottoman. “Why does your dad hate you so much?”

I stare at the ceiling like it holds all the answers I don’t have. “He doesn’t hate me. He just wants me to be...him.”

This is yet another gig I’ll miss because my father scheduled a “mandatory” meeting at 7 PM. Because apparently “mandatory” is code for “you belong to me.” Half the time, these meetings are nothing more than ego parades over zoom calls. It’s honestly time sucking and I loathe them more than anything.

I thought graduating college would loosen the leash. I was wrong.

"He pays for this whole place, Tony. What am I supposed to do? New York is expensive."

Tony gives me a look, the kind that makes you feel like you’re standing in front of a mirror you don’t want to look into. “You’re lucky, sure. But at what cost, man?”

I don’t answer. Because deep down, I already know the cost. And it’s steep.

My phone buzzes beside me.

SarBear: You’re an idiot.

I smile despite myself. Looks like she finally got my drunk snap I took for her last night.

“That Sarah?” Tony cranes his neck to peek at my phone.

I tilt it away. “Mind the business that pays you,” I mutter, kicking him gently.

“I don’t know why she puts up with you. You suck.”

I shrug. He’s not wrong. Sarah and I have been tangled up in each other’s lives since high school. Sometimes we’re lovers, sometimes we’re exes who talk too much, all I know is we’re constantly in each others lives some way.

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